Skidmore Owings & Merrill : SOM Architects

SOM News

SOM Architects News, chronological:

10 Jul 2018100 Leadenhall Street, London, Englandimage Courtesy architecture office100 Leadenhall Street Tower
The SOM designed 100 Leadenhall Street has been awarded planning consent by committee today, the morning of Tuesday 10th July. This leads on from the planning submission in January 2018, following SOM’s appointment in 2016 after a design competition between five renowned architectural teams.

This fall, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) joins Chicagoans in celebration of the city’s enduring passion for architecture. As the Chicago Architecture Biennial invites city residents and visitors to “Make New History,” SOM is proud to partner with the Biennial and leading Chicago-based cultural organizations to explore the intersection between art, architecture, urban planning, and engineering.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has won the International Urban Design Ideas Competition for the Financial District and Marina District of the Port City Colombo in Sri Lanka.

image Courtesy of architects

Developed along with UK-based landscape architects Grant Associates, the project will develop public spaces and an urban framework to accommodate future growth for the country’s capital, as well as form its new skyline. The master plan includes a new harbor, civic plaza, cultural venue, park, gardens, squares, and canal promenades.

image Courtesy of architects

The competition, organized by real estate developer CHEC Port City Colombo, was held to extend the Colombo Central Business District and establish the city as a cultural center for commerce and tourism in South Asia.

The jury unanimously selected SOM’s design as they felt the project exhibited a sincere consideration of the ecological and cultural environment of Sri Lanka.

CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Limited (CPCC) announced today that Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP—the internationally renowned architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban planning firm—has won the International Urban Design Ideas Competition held for the Financial District and Marina District of Port City Colombo. This competition was conducted by CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd. according to the guidelines of the UIA International Design Competitions—interpreting and implementing the UNESCO “Standard Regulations for International Competitions in Architecture and Town Planning.”

image Courtesy of architects

Comprising 269 hectares, Port City Colombo is a new city development built as an extension of the existing Colombo Central Business District (CBD). The Financial District and Marina District make up the central area of Port City. When complete in 2041, the master plan will transform Port City Colombo into a hub for commerce, tourism, and culture in South Asia.

A collaboration with CPCC, the Concept Master Plan by SOM, with consulting landscape architects Grant Associates, offers a richness of urban opportunities and a robust framework with carefully designed public spaces. It presents a dynamic new vision for Port City Colombo that promises to deliver high quality urban environments for residents and visitors. The plan is designed to accommodate future growth and change within a sustainable development framework. SOM’s vision, selected as the unanimous winner by an international jury, was cited as demonstrating exceptional sensitivity to the ecological and cultural context of Sri Lanka.

image Courtesy of architects

In SOM’s proposed design, the new skyline for Port City Colombo is composed to create a striking and legible profile with a clear hierarchy when viewed from key points within the city. Sri Lanka’s varied landscape and its complex tropical climate have influenced the conception of the future district’s public realm. The squares, canal edges, gardens, a new harbor, and a new city park take cues from the local environment to create a sympathetic proposal that is rooted in the country’s unique geography and ecology.

The plan refers to the country’s diverse eco-system by creating a “Green Heart” and a “Blue Heart” to structure these vibrant future urban districts. Inspired by hanging gardens, the central civic plaza features shaded promenades that encircle a new city marina at the waterfront. The locally resonant design approach is also apparent along the canal edge promenade, where inlets of varying character reference the lagoons of Sri Lanka’s rich and articulated coastline.

A new cultural venue placed at the seafront and immediately adjacent to the CBD of Port City Colombo will encourage people to gravitate toward the waterfront and create an iconic backdrop to the marina.

image Courtesy of architects

About CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Limited

CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd through China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) is part of China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC). Incorporated in 2006, CCCC is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and currently employs over 110,000 employees, with presence in 135 countries and regions. CCCC is the world leader in port design and construction, road and bridge design and construction, dredging, and container crane and heavy machinery manufacturing. In addition, CCCC is also vastly experienced in building construction and is a major real estate investor and developer.

For the financial year ending December 2015, CCCC recorded a revenue of US$ 67.7 billion with total assets of US$ 140 billion. CCCC was ranked 110th among Fortune 500 companies in 2016 and ranked third on ENR’s Top International Contractors in 2016. Among the illustrious accomplishments, CCCC is proud that we designed five out of 10 of the world’s largest container terminals and cross-sea bridges. CCCC has been actively involved with the development of Sri Lanka since 1998, executing massive construction projects, such as the Southern Highway, Outer Circular Highway, Hambantota Port, Mattala International Airport, Colombo South Container Terminal and many other major infrastructure projects.

SOM – Recent Designs

United States Courthouse, Los Angeles, CA, USA

This new federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles designed by SOM “conveys a strong civic presence rooted in classic principles, and features an innovative structural engineering concept that allows the cubic volume to “float” over a stone base while being one of the nation’s safest buildings”, according to the architects.

Dec 15, 2016Manhattan Loft Gardens in StratfordDesign: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM)image courtesy of architectsManhattan Loft Gardens in Stratford Building by SOM
London Mayor Sadiq Khan is being urged to halt the construction of a skyscraper because it mars a centuries-old view of St Paul’s Cathedral, reports The Guardian. Conservationists are calling on the London mayor to take action against a 42-storey tower in Stratford, east London, which they say damages the view of Sir Christopher Wren’s landmark from King Henry’s Mound in Richmond Park.

3D-printed Polymer BuildingDesign: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) architects with Oak Ridge National Laboratoryimage by architects3D-printed Building by SOM – 1 Feb 2016
Architecture practice SOM has created a 3D-printed structure that generates its own power and shares energy with a companion vehicle, providing a model for off-grid living.
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) worked with the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory to create the curved pavilion. The architects claim the pavilion is the world’s largest 3D-printed polymer structure. A closed-loop battery system links it with a vehicle designed by Oak Ridge, which was made using the same technology.

Mayor Bloomberg Highlights SOM’s University Center at The New School as a Model of Active Designimage from architectUniversity Center at The New School – 22 + 19 Jul 2013
The City of New York unveiled its active design initiative and chose the University Center at The New School as the backdrop. SOM’s design for the new building focuses on stairs rather than elevators as the principal means of vertical transportation, and the program is organized to encourage walking between destinations. The University Center at The New School will open in January 2014.